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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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Mm^ESOTA 



By R?^Ef Denfeld, Superintendent of Schools, Duluth, Minn. 



Historical Development 

In 1634 Jean Nicolet, an adventurous em- 
ployee of a Canadian Fur Company, visit- 
Early iiig the Indians in what is 
explorers now Wisconsin, learned of the 
Dakotahs or Sioux dwelling beyond the 
Mississippi. On his return to Canada he 
made known what lie had heard. Seven 
years later two French officers visited the 
Sault Ste. Marie and were told of this 
same nation living eighteen 
days' journey to the West, 
at the source of a great 
river. Some years after, 
an expedition started from 
Quebec to find tliese In- 
dians, but the hostile Iro- 
quois slew many of its 
members. In 1660 an ex- 
pedition, under Groselliers 
and Kadisson, coasted along 
the southern shore of Lake 
Superior and erected a tem- 
porary fort. In the spring 
of the following year, a 
party from this fort came 
upon a small body of Dako- 
tah Indians and returned 
with them to the western 
prairies. These men are 
supposed to have been the 
first white men on Minnesota soil. Toward 
the close of the seventeenth century, many 
other explorers : Perrot, Dul Hut, Le Seuer, 
and Father Hennepin, had traversed its 
beautiful river valleys and entered its 
forests and prairies. Rude fortifications 
were built on the lower Blue Earth River 
and on islands of the Mississippi near the 
mouth of the St. Croix and on the west 
banks near Lake Pepin. 

CopjTifrht, Irtll, 19'iO, by 



Then came the voyageurs, the rangers 
of the woods. Soon their canoes dotted 
the streams, their songs echoed xhe voyageurs 
along the banks as they moved and the 
from one Indian village to an- English 
other in search of pelts. These were the 
advance guards of civilization- — ^ a fearless, 
restless, and unrestrained body of men, in- 
diffei'ent to law, keeping faith only with the 
fur companies, and owning allegiance to the 
King- of France. Until 1763 the French 




Fig. •-'. — St. (.' 



Taylor's Falls. 



were masters of this country, then the 
English became the nominal masters. The 
French, however, continued to be the actual 
masters. Tlirough the friendsliip and in- 
termarriages of a century, the Indians had 
come to regard the French as their own 
people. The crafty Frenchmen therefore 
had no difficulty in leading the Indians to 
distrust tlie offers of trade and friendship 
made by the English, so the English built 

The Macniillan ( 

1,6) "' A57I 



MINNESOTA 






no military or trading posts west of Macki- 
naw. TJie only noted explorer represent- 
ing them was the self-constituted explorer 
Jonatlian Carver, who visited St. Anthony 
Falls in 1766, making a partial ascent of 
tlie Minnesota River. 

Twenty years after the English acquired 
possession of the Northwest, they trans- 
Becomes ferred it to the United States 
possession of of America by the Treaty of 
United States 1783, leaving to the new na- 
of America ^j^^^ ^j^^ French and Indian 
hostility as well as their own embittered 




Fig. 3. — Round Tower, Fort Suelliug 



feeling because of the loss of the fur trade. 
To check the boldness of the British fur 
trader and overawe the Indian tribes, it 
became necessary to make a show of mili- 
tary strength. In 1805 the government 
decided to procure a site on which to build 
a fort somewhere on the waters of the upper 
Mississippi. Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike 
was sent with a small force into this ter- 
ritory to explore the country, to expel the 
British fur trader, and to make treaties 
with the Indiitns. On his arrival at an 
island near the mouth of the Minnesota 
River where it enters the Mississippi, he 
pitched his tents. On the 22d of Septem- 
ber he held a council with the Sioux in the 
presence of traders and interpreters. An 
agreement was made with them whereby 



the}' ceded to the United States a tract of 
land nine miles square. Upon this tract 
there was later established a military post, 
and then a fort, named Fort Snelling, after 
its commanding officer. To-day this tract 
is known as the "Fort Snelling Reserva- 
tion." The reason for this is set forth in 
the following words : 

"To cause the power of the United States gov- 
ernment to be fully acknowledged by the Indians 
and settlers of the Northwest; to prevent Lord Sel- 
kirk, the Hudson Bay Company, and others from 
establishing trading posts on the United States 
territory ; to better the conditions of the 
Indians and to develop the resources of 
the country." 

The United States having thus 
asserted its authority, tlie North- 
west and Hudson Bay Fur Com- 
pany thereafter confined their trade 
for the most part to the British 
possessions, while the American 
and Columbia companies entered 
actively into the American terri- 
tory to form more friendly relations 
with the tribe. 

Commercial and scientific expedi- 
tions were also sent out by the 
government. The Later 
first of these, in 1820, expeditions 
under Lewis Cass, governor of 
Michigan, entered the St. Louis River, ex- 
ploring it toward the headwaters of the 
Mississippi ; the second, three years later, 
under Major Stephen H. Long, moved up 
the Minnesota River and Red River and the 
chain of rivers and lakes on the northern 
boundary ; the third, led by Henry B. 
Schoolcraft, nine years later (1832), fol- 
lowed the route of Cass, proceeded as far 
as Lake Itasca, then southward to Fort Snel- 
ling, and up the St. Croix River. These 
expeditions revealed the importance of the 
territory for settlement. 

Almost the entire territory comprising 
the state was held by the Chippewas and 
Sioux, yet hardy pioneers had Treaties with 
entered and settled upon the Indians 
streams tributary to the Mississippi. Two 



liuu -0 la^b 



MINNESOTA 



important treaties were made with the In- 
dians in 1837. The first was with the 
Chippewas at Fort Snelling, in whicli they 
ceded all their pine and agricultural lands 
on the St. Croix and its tributaries ; and the 
second, at Washington, in which they ceded 
all the land east of the Mississippi and all 
its islands. This was the first step taken 
toward permanent occupation of the terri- 
tory by white men. In the northernmost 
part of the territory on the Red River of the 
North were many French and half-breeds 
whose occupation was largely fur trading. 
The central and southern sections were 
settled by people from the Eastern states, 
— Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania. Some 
erected a claim cabin at the falls of the St. 
Croix ; two of the number remained at this 
point, while the others formed two parties to 
search for pine lands. One party stopped at 
Sun Rise; the other went on to Snake River. 
The year following, 18.38, a boat brought 
machinery for the mills of the Northwest 
Early Lumber Company at the falls 

settlements of the St. Croix. Other set- 
tlers came from Illinois and settled in the 
valley of the St. Croix on a site which they 
named Marine, after Marine in Madison 
County, Illinois. At this point they built 
a sawmill. This was the first mill in Min- 
nesota beyond the military reservation. In 
the same year, two men, Haskell and Norris, 
who assisted in the construction of a saw- 
mill near the site of the town of Afton, 
opened the first farm. 

In 1843 a settlement was made which 
afterward became the town of Stillwater. 
A Canadian Frenchman, Perrant by name, 
built his shanty in what later became the 
city of St. Paul. Mankatoand St. Anthony 
Falls had settlers about 1840. A few Swiss, 
lured from their home by the glowing ac- 
count of the agent of Lord Selkirk, made 
their way into the northern portion of Min- 
nesota, and finally located on the Fort 
Snelling Reservation in 1823, but were later 
ejected. However, most of them remained 
in the state and were the first to raise cattle 
and till the soil. 



The life of these pioneers and early set- 
tlers was full of danger and hardship. They 
were forced to contend not Hardships 
only against the severities of of pioneers 
climate and the hardships to be found in a 
new country, but they came in contact with 
the hostile Indians. The government, in 
making its treaties with the Indians, had 
promised them money for their land, which 
was not always promptly paid. Although 
there was an abundant supply of good 
land ceded to them bj' the treaties, the ad- 
venturous pioneers settled on the extreme 
limits in the neighborhood of reservations. 
The Indians living on the reservations west 
of these settlements, in their hunting expe- 
ditions were in the habit of returning to the 
ceded lands. While in general the Indians 
were civil, committing only petty depreda- 
tions, their visits annoyed the white settlers. 
Conflicts between the Indians and the white 
men followed and caused much bloodshed in 
the early history of the state. 

The early inhabitants of the northernmost 
part were occupied in fur trading, while the 
later comers along the river engaged in lum- 
bering. They were poor farmers, and we 
are told they had nothing to sell and every- 
thing to buy. 

In 1848 Wisconsin adopted a state con- 
stitution. The territor}^ north and west of 
the Mississippi and St. Croix Organized 
rivers then being without a ^^ territory 
government, the Honorable John Catlin, 
claiming to be still secretary and acting 
governor of the territory, called a special 
election to elect a delegate to Congress. 
Honorable H. H. Sibley was chosen, and, 
through his influence. Congress passed an act 
establishing the territorial government of 
Minnesota and fixed the seat of government 
at St. Paul. 

There were scarcely a thousand people in 
the territorj' at the time of its organization. 
Within a year the census gave a population 
of 6077. 

The early pioneers were brought into the 
territory tlirough the influence of the Hud- 
son Bay Ciimpany. After the treaties of 



MINNESOTA 



1851 at Travers des Sioiis and Mendota, a 
great wave of iinniigration set in from the 
Rapid growth Eastern states and an era of 
of population speculation started. The cen- 
sus taken a few j'ears later gave a population 
of 150,037. Tlien followed two years of 
financial disaster and the shrinkage of in- 
flated values; but the state itself was filling 
up with farmers and the rich soil was yield- 
ing an abundant harvest. The poi^ulation 
in 1860 had increased to 162,033. A still 
larger increase was anticipated, but political 



stroyed the growing crops, causing great 
financial distress for two or three years. 
The census of 1875 gave the population of 
the state as 597,407, showing a fair increase, 
but small in comparison with the five years 
following the close of the war. 

The rush of immigration forced the or- 
ganization of transportation companies — 
stages in winter and steamboats in summer. 
Tiie majority of those who first came to 
Minnesota in this rush remained in the 
cities as there was little agriculture that 




Harvesting grain. 



conditions in the Union prevented. At the 
close of the Civil War the population of the 
state had reached 260,099, and in 1870 it 
had increased to 439,706 — nearly doubling 
in five years. 

As early as 1870, a thousand miles of 
railroad had been constructed and railroad 
Early building continued with even 

development greater vigor until the panic 
of 1873, which brought all enterprises to a 
standstill, producing stagnation in all the 
growing towns. The farmers had been 
active in the development of the country 
and were greatly aiding the development of 
the state M'hen the grasshopper raids de- 



was worth mentioning. Towns and cities 
sprang into existence like mushrooms. 
The prevailing idea being that land would 
greatly increase in value everybody began 
to speculate. Everything useful was neg- 
lected. When the panic came, the price of 
land fell and brought disaster to the terri- 
tory, but it proved a blessing in disguise 
because it compelled people to abandon 
speculation and return to honest labor in 
cultivation of the soil and development of 
the resources of the country. Farms were 
opened by the thousands, everybody went 
to work, and in ten years Minnesota had a 
surplus of forty million bushels of wheat. 



MINNESOTA 



Wheat was its staple product, although 
other grains and vegetables could be grown 
in abundance. The earliest exports were 
potatoes. In the earliest days of the terri- 
toiy, people predicted the growth of cities 
at different points : at St. Paul because it 
was located at the head of navigation on the 
Mississippi ; at St. Anthony Falls because it 
had great water power ; at the head of the 
lakes because it was the head of navigation ; 
and at Mankato because it was in a great 
bend of the Minnesota River. 

The vast resources of the state have con- 
tributed to the building up of its different 
industries. It is still largely 
an agricultural state, but lum- 
bering, mining, manufacturing, and com- 
merce enlist the activity of many thousands 
of people. Its life, therefore, is varied. Its 
cities are growing with surprising rapidity, 
showing the most advanced conditions of 
modern life. Its villages are the seats of 
prosperous communities and the country 
itself is jjrovided with every facility known 
to modern civilization. 

Minnesota is a little more than fifty years 
old and within that period it has made a 
marvelous growth. It is almost as far ad- 
vanced as the older settled states of the 
Middle West, so far as the homeseekers are 
concerned. Yet the conditions are unusu- 
ally favorable for those who seek an inde- 
pendent home. The pioneer work lias been 
finished and all the advantages of civilized 
life are open to the newcomer throughout 
the borders of the state. 

General Geography 

Minnesota gets its name from the river 
called " Minisota " by the Indians, meaning 

-, sky-colored water. The state 

Name •' . i ■ i , 

convention authorized the pres- 
ent spelling, " Minnesota." Every state 
has a name by which it is popularly known. 
Minnesota is the " Gopher " state. 

Minnesota is in the geographical center 
of North America, midway between Maine 
and Washington, and about equidistant 



between Beaufort Sea and the Gulf of 

Mexico. It lies between 43 degrees 30 

minutes and 49 degrees north 

latitude. The northernmost 

point of the state is 22.85 miles north of the 

49th parallel to the northwest point of the 

Lake of the Woods, and is the farthest point 

north in the United States except Alaska. 

It is between 89 degrees 29 minutes and 97 

degrees 15 minutes west longitude. The 

greatest distance across the state from north 

to south is about 400 miles. The greatest 

width is from St. Vincent to Pigeon Point, 

a distance of 357 miles. 

The boundaries of Minnesota are in part 

natural : Lake of the Woods, with Rainy 

River waterway. Pigeon River, „ , . 

^ . Boundaries 

and Lake Superior on the 

north and northeast ; the St. Louis, St. 

Croix, and Mississippi rivers along the east 

side ; Lakes Big Stone and Traverse, and 

Red River of the North along the west side. 

Iowa is on the south along the parallel of 

43 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. 

Geological Story 

Minnesota is not high although it has in 
places considerable relief. At Duluth on 
Lake Superior it is 602.2 feet above sea level, 
while the Misquah Hills have an elevation 
of 2230 feet. These are not far from the 
International Boundary line. The average 
altitude is about 1200 feet. The long, low 
slopes do not gather the water quickly in 
great volumes, therefore the state is not 
particularly subject to floods, neither is it a 
region of marshes. The beds of sandstone 
in the southeastern portion of the state and 
the miles of sand in the neighboring states 
prove that it must, at one time, have con- 
tained many high mountains. The state 
was the scene of repeated glacial action 
when ice fields covered the whole northern 
part of North America. The markings 
that appear upon the rocks throughout the 
state, the beds of sand and gravel and 
mixed clay, and the sand piled up in differ- 
ent sections, give evidence of this. There 



MINNESOTA 




Fig. 5. — Relief Map of Minuesota. 



are also ancient lake bottoms and river 
courses showing tliat the entire state was 
affected by glacial action. There were 
three such periods in Minnesota. The 
great glacier moving southward from Lake 
Superior region reached Wabasha, leaving 



the red-colored debris, clay, sand, and 
gravel; another formed in the Rainy Lake 
region, tearing up the ancient granites, 
gneisses, and greenstones, dropping them 
southward as far as the headwaters of 
the Mississippi. A third probably moved 



MINNESOTA 



along the Red River Valley, clown the 
valley of the Minnesota into Iowa. These 
glaciers, melting slowly, dropped the rock 
masses in long ridges called "moraines." 
They also created lakes in which the waters 
separated the materials, depositing beds of 
clay and sand as they retreated and formed 
again in each successive season. 

Moraines of glacial origin form the most 
conspicuous type of hills. In the Minne- 
sota, Mississippi, and St. Croix 
river valleys it is a " bluff," 
having a broad, nearly vertical face. Tliese 



Highlands 



oak openings, belts of hardwood, watered 

by many lakes and rivers. The lowest and 

the highest points of land are 

. ,1 ,1 i i Lowlands 

in tlie northeastern corner: at 

Duluth on Lake Superior, and in the vicin- 
ity of Tower and Ely. The valleys are 
numerous and very fertile. 

Drainage 

The " Height of Land " forms the water- 
shed of three great river systems: the 
Mississippi, the Hudson Bay, and the 
Atlantic or St. Lawrence. In northern 




Rolling prairie. 



are hills of erosion due to the wasting effect 
of air and water. The morainic hills are 
most widely distributed and are found 
where glacial " till " occurs. Their slope 
and height vary. Sometimes they are 
cultivated to the summit. The Leaf Hills 
iii the western part of the state are mo- 
rainic. They are the peaks of Otter Tail, 
Becker, and Douglass counties and have an 
elevation of about 1800 feet. At the base 
of these are found morainic lakes. Tlie 
hills of nortlieastern Minnesota are naked 
masses of rock and gabbro of volcanic 
origin and dome-shaped. Around Duluth 
are many volcanic rocks. 

Three quarters of the state is a rolling 
prairie, interspersed with frequent groves, 



Minnesota rises the Mississippi River. Its 
general direction is south. In the central 
division from north to south, rises the Red 
River of the North. Its course is northerly 
into the Lake of the Woods, while the St. 
Louis and its tributaries, rising in nearly 
the same region, flow eastwardly into Lake 
Superior. At tlie source of the Mississippi 
River the elevation is about 1500 feet. At 
tlie southern boundary, as it leaves the state, 
it is 620 feet. The elevation of the Red 
River of the North is the same as that of 
tlie Mississippi River at its source, while at 
the northern boundary it is 767 feet. 

The famous Red River Valley in the 
northwestern part of the state is an exten- 
sive and fertile plain, sloping westward, 



8 



MINNESOTA 



intersected by forest-bordered streams. 
More than half of the state is drained by 

the INIississippi River and its tributaries ; 




Rivers 



about two fifths, by the Red River of the 
North and its tributaries, and tlie lakes and 
rivers on the northern boundary. About 
one tenth of 
Minnesota is in 
the St. Law- 
rence Basin. 
Few states have 
so good drain- 
age. 

Its navigable 
rivers are the 
Mississifipi, Min- 
nesota, St. 
Croix, St. 
Louis, the Red 
River of the 
North, and the 
Red Lake River. 
These have ex- 
tensive water 
power. 

T li e r e are 
many smaller 

streams, as the p^^ 

Rum River, 

Snake River, valuable for lumbering, the 
Cannon, the Zumbro, Vermillion, Crow, 
'Blue Earth, Des Moines, Cottonwood, 
Chippewa, Le Seuer, Root, Elk and Sauk. 
Some of these also have fine water j^ower. 



The Mississippi Basin from Fort Snelling 
to Itasca, an area of 20,225 square miles, is 
well wooded and contains small prairie 
plains. It has some of the largest lakes in 
the state: Mille Lacs, 201 square miles; 
Leech Lake, 200 square miles; Cass Lake, 
100 square miles. In this section are some 
of the best as well as some of tlie poorest 
farming lands. The Minnesota Basin lias 
entirely different characteristics. There is 
little timber in it, although a belt of hard- 
wood stretches from the Big Woods south- 
west beyond Mankato. The remainder is 
almost uninterrupted prairie. It is oc- 
cupied by a larger population than the 
upper jNIississippi as the lands can easily be 
brought under cultivation. The St. Croix 
Basin gatliers the water from about 12,000 
square miles, 3000 square miles of which 
lie in Minnesota. The Kettle River drains 
an important section and through its erosion 




CuLirlL.-i Ijulutli. 
— Falls on Vermillion River. 

lias disclosed valuable rock. The Snake 
River, winding through eastern central 
Minnesota, drains 2000 square miles, join- 
ing the St. Croix south of the mouth of 
the Kettle River. The scenery along the 



MINNESOTA 



9 



rivers which flow into the Mississippi is 
very picturesque. Tliere are two rivers of 
importance in Iowa which have tlieir 
sources in Minnesota, the Cedar which rises 
in Dodge County, and the Des Moines. In 
the southwest corner is an area of about 
1500 square miles which is drained into 
the Mississippi. The great canoe routes 
from Lake Superior to the Mississippi, 
along the streams and sources, are suffi- 
ciently near to 
afford portages 
of one or two 
miles. The In- 
dians used these 
as routes of 
travel. 

The glacial 
lakes of the state 
are of two kinds: 

morainic 

Lakes , , , 

and bed 

rock. The mo- 
rainic are found 
in the rough and 
rolling country, 
in the Coteau 
des Prairies, and 
in the region 

about Minneapolis ; in the Leaf Hills ; 
about the headwaters of the Mississippi; and 
in other portions of the state. The bed rock 
lakes are due to glaciers grinding out basins 
in the rocks. There is little drift materials 
in these lakes; the water rests upon the 
bed rock. Tlie Lake of the Woods is a good 
example of tiiis type. It is shallow, but 
dotted with thousands of islands. These 
lakes have rock-bound bottoms and sliores. 
The water is clear and cold. There are 
also silted river-lakes, formed by rivers in 
the process of silting. The tributaries 
bring great quantities of drift material into 
the channel of the river of sucli a character 
that the current cannot dispose of it. This 
blocks the waters in the river itself. Good 
examples of this kind of lake are Lake 
Pepin and Lake St. Croix. 

There is still another lake formation re- 



sulting from rock folding, creating depres- 
sions in which waters accumulate. Such 
lakes are usually long and narrow. Pine 
Lake shows this. There were probably 
more than ten thousand lakes in the state. 
Some of these have disappeared, but it is 
safe to say that there are now at least 8000. 
Many of these too will disappear in time. 
Otter Tail County claims over 400. Becker 
County has one or more beautiful lakes in 




nearly every township. Kandiyoiu and 
Wright counties have between 200 and 300 
each. 

Climate 

By climate is meant the condition of a 
l)lace in relation to the various phenomena 
of the atmosphere, as temperature, moisture, 
so far as these affect animal life or man, — 
the mean of weather conditions for a given 
period. The elevation of Minnesota, its 
drainage, and the dryness of the atmosphere 
give it a climate unusually favorable to 
health. 

The mean annual temperature for the 
past thirty-six years on the isotherm stretch- 
ing from Beardsley in the western part of 
Minnesota to Duluth has been 43 degrees ; 
stretching from Luverne to the vicinitj' of 
St. Paul, 45 degrees ; the mean tempera- 



10 



MINNESOTA 




Fig. 10. — Mean auinial temperature, thirty-six years. 

ture of January on the isotherm from 
Crookston to Rainy Lake, degrees ; from 
Beardsley to International Falls, 5 degrees ; 




g/u-L'-L w.rthi„gt,s i\|ai^4iI ._12;2:ii".°ii_;l' 



Fig. 11. — Mean temperature, January. 



from Luverne to within the vicinity of 
Tower, 10 degrees on the isotherm jiassing 
through Tower; the mean temperature on 
tlie isotherm for July from Duluth to St. 
Vincent, 65 degrees ; on the isotherm pass- 
ing through Beardsley, Pine River, and 
Willow River, 70 degrees. The above data 
are taken from the bulletins of the Weather 
Bureau, Numbers 55, 56, and 57. 

The excessive heat of summer often expe- 
rienced in otlier states is tempered by cool- 
ing breezes, while its high latitude gives 




Fig. 12. — Mean temperature, July. 

longer days in summer than those of states 
fartlier south, so that during the growing 
season there are at least two and one half 
hours more of sunshine tlian is experienced 
by localities in the latitude of Cincinnati. 
This, together with the rainfall, accounts 
for the rapid and vigorous growth of crops 
in Minnesota. 

The winter climate even has attractive 
features. It is uniform and free from 
tliaws and excessive periods of cold, severe 
weather, or heavy snowstorms, while its 
dryness, with the sunshine and electrical 



MINNESOTA 



11 



atmospheric conditions, tend to tlie per- 
sonal comfort of its inhabitants, making 
outdoor life and work pleasurable. These 
conditions make the climate of Minnesota 
the healthiest in the Union. 

While Minnesota is in the path of the 
prevailing west winds, there are variable 
winds, due to the overheated atmosphere 
in different areas. There are occasional 
destructive winds from the south. Fogs 
and prolonged damp weather are almost 
unknown. The city of St. Paul received 
the highest award at the Paris Exposition 
in 1900 as the healthiest city in the world. 
This speaks strongly for the general dryness 
of the atmosphere and sunshiny weather 
and the lack of excessive heat. The nights 
are usually cool. 

Summer Resorts 

In the noted park region are found large 
and small lakes in close proximity. These 
abound in the best variety 
of fish and are kept well 
stocked with fry from the 
state hatcheries. The cool 
waters and pebbly bottoms 
and shady shores present a 
very attractive picture to 
the tii'ed and worn city 
folk, while the pike and the 
bass allure the enthusiastic 
fisherman. Tiiese attrac- 
tive summer resorts are not 
confined to any one part of 
the state. There are nu- 
merous lakes near cities, on 
electric lines, with modern 
hotels and the latest im- 
provements. It is possible 
to pitch one's tent on the 
beautiful shores of the lakes in the northern 
part of the state or beside a rushing brook 
in the primeval forest and be alone with 
nature. The camper who desires to " rough 
it " and get the pleasures of genuine camp 
life finds it easy to obtain fuel and clear, 
cold water in all tliese summer resorts. 



Minnesota is a place of beauty, of joy- 
ous outdoor life, of hunting and fishing. 
Among the most famous of the summer 
resorts are Osakis, Alexandria, Gray Eagle, 
Annandale, Walker, Bemidji, Cass Lake, 
Detroit, Ortonville, Taylor's Falls, Fair- 
mont, Chicago City, Glenwood, Lindstrom, 
Battle Lake, Clear Lake, Clitherall, Sylvan, 
Wright, Turtle River, Forest Lake, White 
Bear, Minnetonka, South Haven, Otter 
Tail, Dorset, Vermillion Lake. 

On the prairies of southern and western 
Minnesota the stubble fields in the fall fur- 
nish excellent sport, because 
, , , ^ . . . Game 

the turtledove, snipe, prairie 

chicken, grouse, woodcock, plover, are 
found in great numbers ; while at the lakes 
may be seen, later in the fall, geese and 
ducks. In the timbered portion, the quail, 
partridge, ruffle grouse, and pheasant make 
their home. In the great woods of the 
north, on the fringe of civilization, the 
white-tailed deer, moose, and bear are still 




Courtesy Duluth aud Iron Range R. R, 
Fig. 13. — A catch on Basswood Lake. 

seen. Fur-bearing animals of neai-ly all 
varieties are found along the lakes and 
streams, even in the populous section of 
the state ; while to the north, in the less 
settled districts, the fox, wolf, and other 
fur-bearing animals abound, and trapping 
is still followed. One can form some idea 



12 



MINNESOTA 



of the size of the big game area, thougli a 
small part of Minnesota, when it is known 
that it is greater than New Hampshire, 
Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 
Rhode Island combined. So extensive are 
the state's resources to charm the summer 
tourist, that the volume of travel is con- 
stantly increasing. 

One million acres in tlie Rainy River re- 
gion have been set aside by the Federal 




Fig. 14. — Lake sceue, Osakj 

government as a game reserve where the 
native forest is to remain forever undis- 
turbed. Here, too, tlie bracing climate, 
keen pure air, sweet water, bright skies, 
and picturesque scenery make it peculiarly 
advantageous for the seeker after health. 



State Parks 

The state has established a park system. 
There are at present three state parks: 
(1) Itasca Park, situated mainly in Clear- 
water County, but including a strip on 
seven sections on the east side of Hubbard 



County, and four sections on the south in 
Becker County. Originally this park was 7 
miles long and 5 miles wide, but IHO acres 
have been added on the north side, so as to 
include the outlet of the Mississippi River 
from Lake Itasca. The park is heavily 
timbered with evergreens and deciduous 
trees, and, in portions, with beautiful Nor- 
way pine. It can be reached easily from 
Park Rapids. The game in the park is 
carefully pro- 
tected. (2) The 
Interstate Park, 
at the Dalles of 
the St. Croix, 
contains about 
110 acres in the 
town (if Taylor's 
Falls, Cliisago 
County. The 
state of Wiscon- 
sin has pur- 
cliased land for 
a park amount- 
ing to about (iOU 
acres on the 
VV^isconsin side. 
The original 
park on the Min- 
nesota side of 
the river lias 
been increased 
to about 150 
acres, and a fur- 
ther extension is 
planned to make the total 500 acres. This 
Interstate Park has within it the pictur- 
esque rock gorge called the "Upper Dalles 
of the St. Croix," where the river, for a 
distance of two thirds of a mile, flows 
through a chasm shut in by cliffs of rock 
75 to 150 feet high. (3) Minneopa Park 
is established on lands containing the 
Minneopa Falls, near Mankato. Indian 
lore associates a number of legends with 
the Falls. The Park is four miles west of 
Mankato, and has a tract of about 60 acres, 
through which runs the Minneoi^a River. 
The water dashes over a ledge GO feet to a 



Courtesy Great Nonhern Railway. 



MINNESOTA 



13 



gorge below. The falls are 75 feet wide 
and a few rods apart, surrounded by tower- 
ing hills. 

Soils 

The state is subdivided into three sec- 
tions : the southern third a gently rolling 
prairie, interspersed with native timber in 
the central and eastern parts ; the north- 
easteru one third, originally covered with 
timber varying in density and quality, and 
tlie section lying in the northwestern part, 
known as the Red River Valley. The 
southern section is a glacial drift, like that 
of northern Illinois, northern Iowa, and 
southern Wisconsin. The surface is cov- 
ered with rich, black loam, from eighteen 
inches to four feet in thickness, witli a sub- 
soil of clay. The northeastern section, 
originally covered with dense growth of 
timber of different varieties, may be divided 
into three classes of agricultural lauds : 
(1) pine lands, (2) hard wood lands, and 
(3) swamp lands. The pine land area has 
been cut over by the lumbermen. The cut- 
over land is varied in quality, ranging from 
sandy to a heavy clay, and of high produc- 





KiG. 16. — Draining a lake at Maple PI 



Fig. 15. — Scene in southern Minnesota. 

five value, especially for root crops and 
grasses. Farming and grazing can be car- 
ried on successfully. The soil that pro- 
duced the birch, • maple, basswood, poplar, 
and like varieties, is heavy soil, covered 
with deep vegetable mold. The swamp- 
lands, about seven million acres, are meadow 
lands, or covered witli tamarack, spruce, 
and cedar. When drained, it is turned 
into the richest agricultural laud. The 
decayed vegetable matter ranges from two 
to eight feet on a bed of clay. Ditching 
brings millions of acres that were once con- 
sidered worthless into fertile fields. This 
is destined to be a stock-raising and dairy- 
ing region because of its grasses. Timothy 
and clover grow wild in abundance. The 
Red River Valley has a richness of soil 
unrivalled by any district in the world, 
unleps it be that of the Nile. It is north 
of i?ig Stone Lake, and is a level prairie 



14 



MINNESOTA 




of the richest and bhackest soil of great 
depth. It has for 3'ears produced Minne- 
sota hard wheat. Root crops, however, 
grow abundantly. While it is especially 
adapted to cereal crops, it is excellent, also, 
for stock-raising and 
dairying, because it 
yields grasses in abun- 
dance. 

Agriculture 

The fertility of the 
soil, the climate, and 
nearness to markets 
make Minnesota pri- 
marily an agricultural 
state. Its tillable area 
would furnish 300,000 
farms of 160 acres each, 
capable of producing 
untold wealth. 

The tiller of the soil 
is the primary producer 

of wealth 

and with 
the conditions so favor- 
able many of its people 
are engaged, directly or 
indirectly, in the cultivation of crops. All 
the staple foods can be produced on our soil. 
The aggregate crop production yields many 
millions of dollars. The crops, in order of 



yield, are : wheat, oats, corn, barley, 
flax, hay, potatoes, rye, and buck- 
wheat. The live stock, dair}' prod- 
ucts, and poultry represent millions 
in profits. The miscellaneous prod- 
ucts are exceedingly valuable. A 
total crop failure has never been 
known. Tiie average production 
of a farm of 160 acres in 1909 was 
#2387. 

In the year 1914, Minnesota grew 
42,975,000 bushels of wheat, with 
an average yield of 
lb. 8 bushels per acre. 
This placed the state first in the 
wheat raised, second in acreage of 
spring wheat, and third in total 

acreage. Some winter wheat has been 

grown, also macaroni wheat. 

The cool nights are especially favorable 

in producing a large j'ield of oats. The 

increasing value attached to this grain as 




Fig. 18. — A Steveus Coimty wheat fieM. 



a food for horses, dairy cows, calves, sheep, 
and even hogs, will increase its 
production and make it one 
of the most valuable of Minnesota grains. 



MINNESOTA 



15 



Corn is grown as freely 

ill southern Minnesota as in 

nortliern Iowa. 

3. Corn , . , 

It was long 
supposed that corn could 
not be easily grown. This 
has been disproved. There 
is not a county in the state 
in which some varieties of 
feed corn cannot be grown. 
In several counties it is tlie 
largest crop. 

Conditions in Minnesota 
are especially favorable to 

the growing of 

barley. More than a million 
acres have been devoted to it. It is a 
source of considerable revenue. 

Little attention has been given to rye, 
although the state is peculiarly adapted to 

raising it. On 120,000 acres 

it has. obtained a yield of 19 
bushels per acre. 

Minnesota holds second place in the rais- 
ing of flax. There is no county in the state 




5. Rye 




Fig. 20. — Miuuesota haying .scene 



Fig. ly. — Cornfield scene. 

ill some portions of which flax may not be 
raised. This crop is gaining 
in importance in northern 
Minnesota. 

While peas have not been grown exten- 
sively, enough has been done to prove the 
adaptability of the state for 
growing this crop. The cut- 
over areas are even better suited to it than 
the jjrairies. This crop is valuable also as 
an enricher of the soil. 

Potatoes are an exceedingly valuable crop. 
The yield is excellent and the quality espe- 
cially fine. Tlie vast acreage „ „ , ^ 

. •' , , , , 1 8. Potatoes 

of new lands brought under 

cultivation annually, which give a very 
abundant yield, makes this a peculiarly 
■satisfactory crop. 

All varieties of clover grow in great pro- 
fusion and richness on the prairies, and 
especially in the forest and 
park regions. Ked clover has 
attained a height of eight feet, while the 
alsike has been found on the lowlands five 
feet tall. Eight successive crops of clover 
lave been raised on the same field, the last 
better than the first. Minnesota will be- 
come famous for the production of clover 
seed. Every county in the state has large 
areas favorable for the growing of alfalfa. 
Clover is the marvelous crop of the state. 

The variety of grasses is large and the 
growth is vigorous. Kentucky blue grass 
will o-row better in northern Minnesota than 



16 



MINNESOTA 



10. Grasses 



in Kentucky. The pasture and hay crop is 
one of the best. The grazing begins with 
April in tiie southern part of 
the state, while in the northern 
part it opens in May and continues until 
snow flies, or until the middle of November. 
All kinds of field roots, rutabagas, tur- 
nips, mangels, sugar beets, carrots, parsnips, 
etc., are grown with ease as 

11. Roots -1 1 1- i. *. 1 

sou and climate are extremely 
favorable. The conditions for growing rape 
are the best, and its importance as a pasture 
plant is increasingly recognized. 



take high rank as yet, becaufse the state is 
comparatively young, and was settled by a 
mixed pof)ulation that had no special genius 
or training for stock raising. For many 
years there were no home markets, and sliip- 
ping facilities were poor. Under present 
conditions Minnesota is becoming famous 
for its pure bred stock. Heavy draught 
horses, Percherons, Clydesdales, and Nor- 
mans are raised to meet the city demands. 

Minnesota occupies the sixth place in the 
number of cows owned. There are many 
herds of the dairy and beef variety, Jerseys, 




12. Vegetables 



A free-working, porous soil and bright 
summer days make jjossible rapid growth of 
vegetables, so that the quality 
is superior and the variety 
large. In the lowlands of nortliern Minne- 
sota, celery rivaling that cultivated in 
Kalamazoo, is marketed with profit. When 
one realizes that not more than half of the 
tillable land in Minnesota is under cultiva- 
tion, one may get a faint glimpse of the 
marvelous possibilities of Minnesota as an 
agricultural empire. 

Minnesota is well adapted for stock rais- 
ing because of the variety and aliundance 
of i^roduction, its excellent 
water supply, its healthful 
and uniform climate, its ranges, nearness 
to markets, and the ease with which mill 
products may be obtained. It does not 



Stock raising 



Guernseys, Hohstein-Frisians, Shorthorns, 

and Red Polled. The adaption of Minnesota 

to cattle raising is destined to 

1 •.. ■ 4.1 r . 1 1- Cattle 

place it in the iront rank. 

Sheep raising is especially heljjful to the 
ordinary farmer, but the interest in grain 
growing has hindered the 
sheep husbandry. There are 
many medium wooled-breeds raised in Min- 
nesota, especiall)' the Shropshire. 

Swine husbandry is a very profitable 
source of revenue in Minne- 
sota. The breeds most fa- 
vored are the Yorkshire and Poland-China. 

There are a number of large poultry 
farms in the northern part of the state 
making a specialty of fancy 
breeds. Nearly every fanner 
in the state raises poultry. There is an 



MINNESOTA 



17 



excellent market for the 
produce in neiir-by cities 
at a large financial return. 
In 1909 the product from 
this source was valued at 
127,000,000. Poultry rais- 
ing is rapidly increasing 
throughout the state. 

JNhmy farmers in northern 

Minnesota are keeping bees. 

Tiiere are sev- 

0. Bees , , „ 

eral 40-acre 
farms in this section from 
which tons of honey arc 
shipped every fall. The 
native bass wood, red clover, 
goldenrod, ajid other northern plants are 
famous as feeding grounds for the bee. 

Horticulture 

Minnesota is not classed as a fruit state, 
yet small fruits, sucii as strawberries, rasp- 
berries, currants, and gooseberries are suc- 
cessfully cultivated and not often excelled. 
The hardy varieties of apples are grown, 
and new ones are being added each year. 
Cranberries are readily grown on the low- 
lands or marshes. 




22. — A flock that pays its own way 



Mining 




Coimty orchard. 



Minnesota contains iron mining districts 
tliat furnish two thirds of this ore mined in 
the United States. It furnishes employ- 
ment, directly or indirectly, to many thou- 
sands of people. Outside of the Lake 
Superior district there is no ore mined in the 
United States tiuit can compare with that of 
Minnesota. In one year the mines of the 
state had an outjjut of nearly 30,000,000 
tons. More than $1,000,000 annually is de- 
rived in taxes from tiiis industry. Tiie three 
iron ore railroads pay 
one fifth of the state 
tax and nearly one third 
of all the taxes contri- 
buted by the railroads 
of the state. 

Along the northern 
boundary, eastward from 
the Lake of the Woods, 
is a mineralized forma- 
tion carrying traces of 
gold, silver, and nickel. 
There are also large 
bodies of alumina, clay, 
and abrasive material, 
akin to corundum. Beds 
of marble are also known 
to exist. Copper has 
been discovered, but not 
in paying quantities. 



18 



MINNESOTA 




Fig. 24. — Fayal mini-, Eveleth. 



Iron mines are found on the Vermilion, 
Mesabi, and C'uyuna ranges in the north- 
eastern part of Minnesota. 
Iron Mines ,,,, , ... , 

ine deposit is known to ex- 
tend as far west as Morrison County. They 
are the largest and most imjjortant mines to 
be found and are equipped with the best 
and most modern devices for the economical 
and rapid handling of ores. 

Lumbering 

Early -in the history of the state the 
wealth of pine forests attracted the atten- 
tion of lumbermen from all parts of the 
country, especially from Maine. These 
men erected sawmills at the Falls of St. 
Anthony and Stillwater and many other 
points where rivers afforded the means of 
driving logs. This was the beginning of 
one of the great industries of the state. 
The census of 1880 gave tlie standing pine 
of the state as 10,000,000,000 feet. The 
mills at Minneapolis and above, in the St. 
Croix District, and in the Duluth District, 



were cutting 500,000,000 feet a year. It 
was then estimated that in fifteen years all 
would be cut. Since that estimate the lum- 
ber production has reached the enormous fig- 
ure of 1,629,000,000 feet a year. There is 
still a large output of lumber from mills in 
the northern part of the state. The estimate 
was, therefore, far too low. This industry, 
with those allied to it, still gives employ- 
ment to thousands and continues to be a 
source of wealth. There are still over 200 
sawmills in the state and nearly 100 sash 
and door factories. The sawmill product 
has declined since 1900, but that of the 
allied industries has increased. The state 
is marvelously rich in timber, especially 
white and Norway f)ine, cedar, spruce, bal- 
sam, tamarack, oak, maple, birch, basswood, 
elm, poplar, etc. The giant pines are now 
practically found only in the forest reserves. 
One may form some conception of the 
magnificence of the Minnesota forest of an 
early date by observing the splendid stand 
of pine on Norway Beach at Cass Lake. 



MINNESOTA 



19 




Winter logging scene, Muraeson Woods. 



Scientific forestry has been introduced 
to conserve the forest and prevent useless 
waste. Had the government 
treated these forest areas in- 
telligently, tliey would have been the source 
of untold wealth for the people and would 
have preserved practically intact a sufficient 
area for all time to come. As it is, the 
forest area has been greatly reduced without 
a corresponding return. Lands suitable for 
the growth of trees should have been left to 
produce them. The cut-over lands suitable 
for farms would even then have been enor- 
mous and very productive. 

Manufacturing 

At first there were only two industries, 
logging and wheat raising. Now Minnesota 
Manufactured is rapidly advancing as a man- 
products ufacturing state. The first 
flour manufactured was given an Ohio 
brand. Now a Minnesota brand is a cer- 
tificate of quality. The introduction of 
the Hungarian and French processes into 
the mills of Minnesota has contributed to 
the growth, increase of wealth, and strength 
of the state. " The Northwestern Miller " 



estimates that the output of flour for the 
state is over 25,000,000 barrels annually. 

There are 24 meat packing establish- 
ments in the state doing a thriving busi- 
ness. It has between 850 and 860 cream- 
eries, 70 cheese factories wiiose output is 
marketed as far east as New York. The 
steel industry is growing in importance. 
The mammoth new steel plant at Duluth 
will supply the pig iron for all kinds of 
steel and iron working establishments. 
There are structural steel factories, found- 
ries, and machine shops at Minneapolis 
and in other parts of the state ; also rail- 
road car and repair shops, linseed oil mills, 
boot and shoe factories, fur goods, bags for 
flour, etc., cigars and tobacco, patent med- 
icine and compounds, agricultural imple- 
ments, men's clothing, furniture, gas and 
coke ovens, paper mills, knit goods, woolen 
mills, harness and saddlery, wagons and 
carriages, wooden specialties, confectionery, 
pickles and preserves, beet sugar, pianos, 
trunks and pottery, sewer pipe, stoneware. 

A big factor in the industrial develop- 
ment is the magnificent water power. St. 
Anthony Falls made Minneapolis a milling 



20 



MINNESOTA 




Water power 



Fig. 26. — The largest Hour mill in the world, JVIiniieaiiolis 



center. Power dams are projected at many 
points on the Mississippi and its tributaries. 
Two hundred forty-two power 
plants develop 165,000 horse 
power. The power plant of the Great 
Northern Power Company at Tliomson, on 
the St. Louis River, can develop 100,000 
horse power. They now have a capacity 
of 45,000 horse 
power. Inter- 
national Falls on 
the Rainy River 
has a splendid 
water power, 
greater even 
than that of St. 
Anthony F'alls. 



Union. It is 
threaded by 
miles of rail- 
ways, affording 
easy communi- 
cation between 
its cities and 
towns, and trans- 
portation of all 
kinds of farm 
and manufac- 
tured products. 
It is traversed 
by portions of 
three great 
transcontinental 
lines, radiating 
from the prin- 
cipal cities of 
the state. In 
the northeast 
section railways 
extend in all 
directions, em- 
ploy thousands of men, and have produced 
an era of development scarcely rivaled auy- 
wlrere else in the country. All this has 
greatly aided the interior development of 
the state. Its miles of navigable rivers, at 
least 2500 in extent, have also been an im- 
portant factor in its commercial advance. 
The Great Lakes enter the heart of the state. 



Commerce 

Minnesota is 
destined to be 
one of the great 
commercial 
states of the 




Fig. 27. — Paper mill, Cloquet, Carleton County. 



22 



MINNESOTA 



giving eas}' communication with the Atlantic 
seaboard; the Mississippi River, itself navi- 
gable for 2000 miles, affords a ready outlet 
to the CJulf of Mexico, wliile the Red River 
of the North opens the way to Winnipeg, 
one of the inost flourishing cities of Canada. 
Few states in the Union can present such 
a record of progress or enumerate factors 
so favorable for commercial development. 
The cliief commercial centers of the state 
are St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth. 




LoiuUng iron ore, Dululli. 



Tlie first exports were wheat and lumber ; 
Foreign later, flour became an impor- 

commerce tant article, followed by iron 

ore, flax fiber, linseed oil, stoneware, dairy 
products. 

There are two customs districts or ports 
of entry ; one with headquarters at St. 
Paul, the other at Duluth. 

Its domestic commerce consists of all 
kinds of manufactured goods, and the state 
Domestic has rapidly forged ahead in 

commerce the different kinds of factories 

established, so that nearly everything that 
is manufactured has an industry that is 
represented in the state, and this product 



is distributed to a large extent through- 
out the country. Its wholesale houses of 
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Winona, 
and Mankato distribute goods throughout 
the Northwest. What the future of Min- 
nesota in a commercial way may be is dif- 
ficult to imagine. The port of Duluth 
even now is the second port in the United 
States in the amount of tonnage handled. 
It is practically a seaboard city and, with 
its wonderful water and rail facilities, 
will continually in- 
crease in commercial 
importance. Wherever 
rail and water meet, 
distributing points will 
be established. Minne- 
sota is esjDecially fa- 
vored in this regard on 
the eastern, western, and 
northern boundaries. 

Government 

Minnesota has been a 
part of many territoi'ial 
governments. For 
twenty-two years the 
portion west of the Mis- 
sissippi River belonged 
to tlie territory of Mis- 
souri. In 1836, it was 
attached to the territory 
of Michigan, then it 
became part of the ter- 
ritory of Wisconsin. There it remained 
until the territory of Iowa was created. It 
then became a part of that territor}^ until 
1845, after which it was for a time without 
any government. 

Tiie part lying east of the Mississippi 
originally belonged to the Northwest Ter- 
ritory. In 1800 it became a part of the 
Indiana Territory and remained such until 
1836, when it was set off to the terri- 
tory of Wisconsin and continued as a 
part of that territory until 1848, when 
Wisconsin was admitted into the Union 
as a state with St. Croix River as its 
western boundary. Thus the eastern 



MTNJSTESOTA 



23 




Fig. .'!0. — State Caijitdl, 8t. Paul. 



portion, like the western, was without a 
government. 

The legislative department of Minnesota 
consists of two houses, the Senate and 
Legislative the House of Representatives, 
department The sessions are biennial and 
limited to 90 days. There are 67 members 
of the State Senate and 130 Representa- 
tives. Their qualifications, powers, duties, 
etc., are very much the same as those of 
other legislative bodies. The term of a 
Representative is two years, that of a Sena- 
tor is four years. 

The executive department consists of the 
governor, lieutenant governor, secretary 
Executive of state, treasurer, attorney 

department general, and auditor. Each 
is elected for two years, except the auditor, 
whose term is four years. Tlie qualifica- 



tions and duties of these are similar to 
tliose set forth for other states. 

There are many departments, commis- 
sions, bureaus, more or less closely con- 
nected with the executive department, the 
members of which are appointed by the 
governor. The railroad and warehouse 
commissioners are elected by the people. 

The state hospitals for the insane are 
located at St. Peter, Rochester, and Fer- 
gus Falls ; the state insane 
asylums are at Anoka 
Hastings ; the state training rectional and 
school for boys, at Red Wing ; charitable 
for girls, at Sauk Center ; the state reform- 
atory, at St. Cloud ; the state prison or 
penitentiary, at Stillwater. 

The judicial department consists of the 
supreme court, district, probate, and justice 



state institu- 
aiid tions — cor- 



24 



MINNESOTA 



courts and other inferior courts established 
by the legislature, such as municipal courts. 
Judicial etc. The supreme court con- 

department sists of one chief justice and 
four associate justices. 

There are 18 district courts in the state, 
each having one or more judges. Each 
district court has a clerk in each county 
within its district. The clerk is elected for 
a term of four years. 

Each county has a probate court. The 
Legislature determines tlie number of 
justices of the peace. There are two in 



system embraces the following : districts 
created for the government of the graded 
and ungraded schools called common, inde- 
pendent, and special. A common school 
district has a board of three members ; an 
indejaendent, a board of six members ; a 
special, a board of six, or more. 

The schools of the state are classified as 
rural, semi-graded, graded, high, normal, and 
the university. The public scliools are sup- 
ported by direct taxation upon „ ^,. , , 
\ •' , . ,, , , 1 ■ Public schools 

the property ot the school dis- 
tricts, by a county t-mill tax, by state mill 




Fig. 31. — State hospital for nisuue, Feigus Falls. 



each township or village and two or more 
in eacli city. Judges of all other courts 
must be elected in the cities or counties for 
which the courts are created. No term of 
service can be greater than seven years 
without a new election. From time to 
time the legislature may create new judi- 
cial districts. A court commissioner is 
elected for each county. 

Education 

Minnesota has taken a progressive stand 
in matters pertaining to public education 
and has given it liberal and generous sup- 
port. Its educational systems rank with 
the best in the country, and the people take 
a just pride in their schools. The school 



tax, and by the income derived from the 
permanent school fund which now amounts 
to about $26,000,000 and will, in tlie course 
of time, be greatly augmented by reason of 
the valuable school lands throughout the 
state, in the forest, farm, and mineral sec- 
tions, together with fines that are accredited 
to this same fund. 

In addition to this the state distributes 
annually, according to the excellence of 
standard, .'1125 or $50 to each rural school ; 
$230 to each semi-graded school having 
three and not less than two departments ; 
SHOO to each graded school with four de- 
partments, and 11750 to each high school 
of the first class ; also liberal financial aid 
to encourage the establishment and main- 



MINNESOTA 



25 



tenance of school libraries. It also provides 
a fund for institutes and training schools 
wliich are held under the direction of the 
state superintendent of pubfic instruction. 
Teachers' certificates are issued 'by the de- 
partment of superintendence upon examina- 
tion or endorsement. There are several 
grades of these : professional, first and sec- 
ond ; teachers' certificates, first and second ; 
and county certificates. Examinations for 
professional certificates are held twice a year. 
The same is true for state certificates. 

The first of the five normal schools of the 
state were located at Winona, Mankato, and 
St. Cloud, by an act of the Legislature in 
1858, another at Moorhead in 188.5, and the 
last at Duluth in 1902. These schools pro- 
vide scholastic and professional training to 
those who aspire to become teacliers in the 
elementary schools of the state and they are 
in close contact and sympathy with the rural 
work. Many of the students enrolled are 
from rural schools, supporting themselves 
by teaching in such schools and attending 
the normal schools when means and circum- 
stances permit. They are thus in the way 
of becoming exceptionally strong teachers. 
The courses of study are an elementary 
course of three years, and an advanced 
course of five years. There is also a pro- 
fessional course of one or two years for 
graduates of approved high schools. Kin- 
dergarten training is given in a two-year 
course. Each school is under the genei-al 
control of the president and a faculty 
of expert instructors. All are under the 
general supervision of the normal board, 
consisting of the resident directors of each 
school and two other appointees, all being 
appointees of the governor. This board, 
with the presidents of the several normal 
schools, prescribe the course of study and 
select the instructors and carry on the work 
of the preparation of teachers. The normal 
schools of Minnesota rank exceptionally 
higli. 

The university is controlled by a board of 
twelve regents. The governor, the presi- 
dent of the university, and the superintend- 



ent of public instruction are ex-officio mem- 
bers, and the nine others are appointed by the 
governor. It is most gener- state 
ously supported by the state university 
and has at its command the revenues from 
certain lands which ultimately will make it 
one of the most richly endowed institutions 
of the country. It consists oi the fol- 
lowing schools, colleges, and departments : 
The College of Science, Literature, and the 
Arts ; the College of Engineering and the 
Mechanic Arts; the Department of Agri- 
culture, including the College of Agricul- 
ture, the College of Forestry, the School of 
Agriculture, the Dairy School, the Short 
Course for Farmers, the Short Course for 
Teachers, the School of Traction Engineer- 
ing, the Crookston School of Agriculture ; 
the College of Law; the College of Medi- 
cine and Surgery, including the Training 
School for Nurses; the College of Dentistry; 
the College of Pharmacy ; the School of 
Mines; the School of Analytical and Applied 
Chemistry; the College of Edncation; the 
Graduate School; the Department of Fores- 
try, including the Forest School, Itasca, and 
the Forest Experiment Station at Cloquet. 

The regents of the university have in- 
trusted to their charge : The Experiment 
Station, including the main station at St. 
Paul, the sub-stations at Crookston, Duluth, 
Grand Kapids, jNIorris ; the Geological and 
Natural History Survey. 

The university also offers summer work 
under the direction of the state deimrtment 
at the university proper and the agricul- 
tural school at St. Paul. 

Revenues for the support of the univer- 
sity are derived from the permanent funds 
coming from the sale of public lands granted 
by Congress for university support and held 
by the state, paying the interest annually 
to the university ; the aiipropriations made 
by Congress under the different bills, as the 
Morris, Hatch, Nelson, and Adams bills : 
the fractional mill h^vy, and tiie direct ap- 
propriation made by the Legislature when 
needed ; student fees, sale of farm products, 
and petty miscellaneous receipts. The an- 



26 



MINNESOTA 




iiual income at i)reseiit for current expenses 
is about $ 775,000. 

St. John's University at Collegeville, 
Augsburg Seminary at Minneapolis, Carle- 
Private ton College at Northiield, St. 
Institutions Olaf College at Northiield, 
Hamline University at St. Paul, Macalester 
College at St. Paul, Gustavus Adolphus 



Cities 

Minneapolis, the county seat of Henne- 
pin County, has a population of 380,498.* 

It is situated at the head of „. 

,, ,,. . . . Minneapolis 
navigation on the Mississippi 

River, at the Falls of St. Anthony. In 

August, 1683, Father Hennepin, one of 




Fig. o3. — Minuesota College of Ajjriculture, St. Paul. 



College at St. Peter, Parker College at Win- 
nebago, St. Thomas College at St. Paul, St. 
Paul Seminary at St. Paul, Concordia Col- 
lege at Moorhead are some of the private 
institutions. 

IMinnesota has taken an advanced stand 
in the matter of vocational training. No 
state in the Union can show more efficient 
work or a more earnest effort to meet the 
needs of modern social life. 

* Census 



the early explorers of this region, first be- 
held these powerful falls, to which he gave 
the name St. Anthony in honor of his 
patron saint, Anthony of Padua. 

From a trading post, which grew up at 
the Falls of St. Anthony, Minneapolis has 
become one of the industrial centers as well 
as one of the most beautiful cities of the 
Northwest. Five large lakes lie within the 
city limits and Lake Minnetonka, one of 

of 1920. 



MINNESOTA 



27 





- 


. 








Sinp-^i^ 






^-^' 


^ ■■■rrr 




' ■" -^"B 


^^MlKiti' lif 




^ 




•<*' ' 


*A-. 










>'^ 





at Miniirapdlis. 

the most beautiful in the state, is only a 
short ride distant. The streets are broad 
and regular, as are its many attractive 
boulevards and driveways. Kenwood Boule- 
vard, skirting the lakes within the city, and 
Minnehaha Parkway offer one of the most 
attractive drives in an}' of the northern 
cities. !Minne- 
apolis has an ex- 
tensive system 
of 110 separate 
parks, whose 
combined area 
is nearly 4000 
acres. At the 
foot of ]\Iinne- 
haha Parkway 
are the Falls of 
M i n n e h a h a, 
made famous by 
Longfellow in 
his poem " Hia- 
watha." The 
state Soldiers' 
Home and the 
Longfellow (iar- 
dens are only a 
short distan( f 
from these falls 
and Minnehaha 
Park. 

The city con- 



tains man}' examples of the best tjpes of 
architecture. Here is located the Uni- 
versity of Minnesota, one of the foremost 
state universities ; it, together with eighty- 
three public schools and many technical 
and professional schools, makes the city an 
important educational center. 




Fig. 34. — Street scene, Minneapolis. 



MINNESOTA 




Fig. 35. — Miiinehaha Falls. 



Twentj'-nine steam railroad lines enter 
the city as well a.s several interurban elec- 
tric lines, giving it excellent transportation 
facilities and splendid access to the sup- 
plies and markets of the entire Northwest. 
Manufacturing and wholesaling interests 
have grown to huge proportions. The 
largest flour mills in the world are located 
here. Hundreds of factories and mills em- 
ploy many thousands of people and supply 
the necessities of life to the most distant 
markets. Foremost among the products 
are : flour, feed, linseed oil, cereals, struc- 
tural steel, sashes, doors, Ijlinds, knit goods, 
automobiles and trucks, and building ma- 
terials. 

The city claims over 1000 wholesale firms, 
nearly 2000 factories, 187 public libraries, 
24 hospitals, 83 theaters, 237 churches, and 



a street railway system of more than 200 
miles. The area of the city is 53.29 square 
miles. 

St. Paul, the capital of the " Bread and 
Butter State" and county seat of Ramsay 
County, is situated ten miles 
east of Minneapolis, near the 
confluence of the Minnesota and ^Mississippi 
rivers. It was the first city to be estab- 
lished in this portion of the state, and was 
therefore an important trading post in 
pioneer days. It rises in terraces from the 
river, which is 695 feet above sea level, to 
875 feet at the State Capitol and lOlG feet at 
the highest point within the city limits. 
It has 10 miles of river frontage and an 
area of 55.44 square miles. 

Although river traffic on the Mississij^pi 
has decreased materially during the last 



MINNESOTA 



29 



decade, St. Paul is still one of the chief 
distributing centers for tiie Northwest, 
having twenty-three lines of railways — 
nine railway systems in all — ^.JDranching out 
to every part of the country. It has meal- 
packing plants, one of these the fifth in si/.i' 
in the United States ; foundries and ma- 
chine shops ; l)oot and shoe factories ; 
publishing houses ; fur manufactories ; rail- 
way shops ; and clothing establishments. 

St. Paul has 52 improved parks witli an 
area of 1095 acres and 21 unimproved parks 
with a total area of approximately 600 
acres. The largest of the improved parks 
is Phalen Park with an area of 487 acres, 
247 of which are taken up by Phalen Lake 
The second largest and tlie most beautiful 
is Como Park, lying in the northwestern 
section of the city. Closely rivaling this 
in interest is the Indian Mounds Park on 
the banks of the Mississippi, just below the 
heart of the city. The interior parkway 
system is one of tlie best in tlie country, the 
parks forming almost a continuous drive 
around the outskirts of the city. 

Here are many educational institutions, 
including, besides tlie public schools. Ham- 
line Universit)', jNIacalester College, St. 
Paul Seminary, Concordia College, St. 
PeuI's College, and four Lutheran semi- 
naries. Near tlie outskirts of the city, 
moreover, are located the State Agricultural 
College and the State Fair Grounds, where 
is held the largest state fair in the country. 
St. Paul derives its name from the rude log 
chapel erected in 1841 by Father Lucien 
Galtier at the corner of Third and Minne- 
sota streets. 

The population, according to the census of 
1920, is 234,595. 

Ddluth, situated on Lake Superior at 
the head of navigation, is the third city in 
the state and the county seat 
of St. Louis County. Witli 
a population of 78,4ti(;, it is a thriving com- 
mercial center and carries on a large foreign 
and domestic commerce. The tonnage 
handled is second only to that of New 
York. The land slopes gradually from the 



■ ■■ 




ii 31 «i Si ! I t ' '" 






f"f '... , 




Fi.;. .n;. — .St. Paul Hotel, St. Paul. 

bay to an old lake beach at the bluff to a 
height of about 500 feet on which is a 
boulevard drive of nearly 40 miles, from 
which the visitor gets a view of the miles 
of water in the lake and river and is im- 
pressed with the magnificence of its location 
and the great possibilities for future growth. 
Duluth has magnificent public buildings, 
excellent railroad facilities, and is a large 
distributing point. The jjeculiiir formation 
known as " Minnesota Point," cut bj' two 
canals, one the original mouth of the St. 
Louis River and the other an artificial 
canal, make it a truly picturesque city. 
This projection, together with two others, 
give wonderful dock facilities, in extent 
about 200 miles. It is famous for its aerial 
bridge, the only one of its kind in America. 
The Ignited States Steel Company is now 
building a ten million dollar steel plant 
which will make Dulutli an iron manu- 
facturing center rivaling that of Pittsburg. 
Its industries are varied. Its residences 
are palatial and in point of wealth comjiared 
with its size it is the first city in the state. 
Its educational facilities are ample. The 
fifth state normal scliool is located here, also a 
Finnish college. J'he boulevtird ilrive passes 



80 



MINNESIOTA 




Fig. 37. — Duluth ship caual aud aerial bridge. 



through the most picturesque and magnifi- 
cent parks for their size in the state, — 
Lester Park, Chester Park, Cascade, Lin- 
coln, and Fairmont. Its manufacturing in- 
dustries are rapidly forging to the front. 
It has the only match factory in the state, 
a carbide plant, woolen mills, the largest 
grain elevators in the state, and boot and 
shoe factories. Among its wholesale houses 
are some of the largest-in the Central West. 
It has two incline railways, giving access to 
the suburbs just over the bluff. 

Mankato, located 8(') miles from St. 
Paul and Minneapolis, is the county seat of 

Blue Earth County. It has 

Mankato , ,. r -i i 

several hues of rauway and 

thus excellent transportation facilities. 
Here are found extensive quarries of stone, 
a creamery, candy factories, flour mills, 
knitting mills, breweries, foundries, ma- 
chine shops, lime and cement works, em- 
ploying many people. A large state normal 
school is located in the city. It was in the 
midst of the territory affected by the Sioux 



outbreak in 1862. It now has a population 
of 10,365. Five miles from the city is the 
celebrated Minneopa Park, one of the most 
beautiful spots in the state. The Minneopa 
Falls rival the famous Minnehaha Falls. 

St. Cloud, the county seat of Stearns 
County, is 65 miles northwest of Minneapo- 
lis on the Mississippi River. „^ „, ^ 
T ^f TVT ^1 St. Cloud 
It has two railroads, the JS' orth- 

ern Pacific and the Great Northern. It is 
the seat of one of the state normal schools 
and of tlie Minnesota State Reformatory. 
It is the center of a grain growing and 
stock raising country, but it is especially 
noted for its forty quarries, which emjjloy 
more than a thousand men. Iron and lum- 
ber products and flour are the principal 
manufactures. Population, 10,600. 

Stillwater, on the St. Croix River and 
Lake, is the county seat of Washington 

County, 18 miles northeast of „^.„ ^ 

,^ , T • • 1 i-j Stillwater 

St. Paul. It IS in a locality 

of great beauty at the foot of the celebrated 

Dalles of the St. Croix which extend 30 



MINNESOTA 



31 



miles above the city. It has the Minnesota 
State Prison, a government l)uilding, St. 
Josepli's and St. Mary's convents. At one 
time it had very extensive liwnber interests. 
There are grain elevators, brickyards, flour 
mills, wagon works, farm implements, boot 
and shoe factories. In the early history of 
Minnesota, the city played a very prominent 
part. Many of the pioneers located in this 
section of the state engaged in hunbering 
and took advantage of the excellent water 
power. Population, 10,198. 

Winona, county seat of Winona County, 
is 103 miles southeast of St. Paul on the 
Mississippi River. This city 
nestles in a beautiful valley, 
surrounded by a big bluff. Its streets are 
wide, well-paved, and bordered by beautiful 
shade trees. It has a state normal school, 
the Winona Seminary, the ^Margaret Simp- 
son Home, the Winona Hospital. It has 
excellent transportation facilities. It is the 
center of an extensive grain and lumbering 
trade, and is prominent in the manufactur- 
ing of various kinds of sawmill products, 
breweries, jmcking plants, malting, railway 
shops, flax fiber, flour, carriages, boot and 
shoes, farm implements, patent medicines. 
Population, 18,583. 

Fergus Falls is the county seat of 
Otter Tail County. It is 177 miles north- 
west of Minneapolis on the 
Fergus Falls ^^^,^,^^ Northern and Northern 

Pacific railroads, on the Red River. It is 
located in the park region of the state and 
in the center of an agricultural and lumber 
section. It has abundant water power ; 
manufactures flour, woolen goods, wagons, 
undertakers' supplies, sash, doors, and 
brooms. One of the state hospitals for the 
insane and the Lutheran and Norwegian 
colleges are located here. Population, 6887. 
Little Falls is one of the most attrac- 
tive and enterprising cities of the state ; 

the county seat of Morrison 

Little Falls ^, ^ "^ , , , • , , 

County, and the coming center 

of a very productive agricultural and lum- 
bering district. The dam across the river 
furnishes extensive water power for manu- 



facturing purposes. The city has large 
lumber, flour, and paper mills, a beet factory, 
brick^^ards, and an agricultural implement 
establishment. Its public buildings are 
commodious, while its educational facilities 
are of the best. Population, 6078. 

Austin, on the Red Cedar River, is the 
county seat of Mower County. The city is 
surrounded by fertile prairies. 
Its principal products are live 
stock, butter, wheat, barley, flaxseed, grass, 
etc. It has a meat packing plant, flour 
mills, brick and tile works, foundry, rail- 
road shops, cement works, creamery and 
novelty works. The manufactures are 
aided by excellent water power. Popula- 
tion, 6960. 

BuAlNERD, not far from the Cuyuna 

Range, is the county seat of Crow Wing 

County, which is one of the „ . 

. . •' . • ^1 Brainerd 

richest iron ranges in the 

state. The northern Pacific has large ma- 
chine, car, and other shops. The dam 
across the Mississippi furnishes water power 
for various manufacturing establishments. 
There are extensive lumber yards, cigar 
factories, foundries, flour mills, and a paper 
pulp mill. It exports largely lumber, 
grain, and furs. Population, 8526. 

Farii5.\ult, population of 9001, is the 
county seat of Rice County, situated 52 

miles south of St. Paul. It is ^ .^ ,^ 
c , 1 o . • 1 . Faribault 
at the Junction or the Straight 

and Cannon rivers. It has excellent rail- 
road facilities ; is beautifully located in a 
region abounding in niagnificent lakes. 
Faribault is an educational center, having 
the state institutions for the deaf, blind, 
and feeble-minded ; the Seabury Divinity 
School, and the Shattuck Scliool for Boys ; 
St. Mary's School for Girls, and Bethlehem 
College for Girls. Its industrial plants 
manufacture flour, pianos, wagons, boots 
and shoes, gasoline engines, butter tubs, 
woolen goods, and the Nutting truck. 

HmiJiNG is located about 80 miles from 
Duluth. It is in St. Louis 
County and lias a populatioi 
of HS-'d. This city is in a large mining 



Hibbing 



32 



MINNESOTA 



Red Wing 



center, having one of the largest mines on I 
the Misstibe Range. Lumbering and min- 
ing are leading industries. 

Red Wing, the county seat of Goodhue 
County, is about 40 miles southeast of the 
Twin Cities. Two railroads, 
the Chicago and Northwestern, 
and tlie Chicago, Minneai^olis & St. Paul, 
afford excellent transportation facilities. 
It has a very picturesque location in the 
high bluffs overlooking the IMississipjji. It 
has excellent school buildings, and is one of 
the wide-awake and rapidly growing towns 
of Minnesota. This city is best known for 
its manufacture of stoneware, sewer pijje, 
furniture, linseed oil, malt, beer, brick, 
lime, hats, flour, lumber products, shoes, 
boots, and gasoline engines. It also has 
one of the largest tanneries in the state. 
It is the seat of the State Training School 
for boys, the Hauge Seminary, the Lutheran 
Ladies' Seminary ; hospitals, both private 
and state. Population, 9048. 

Virginia is a city in St. Louis County, 
75 miles northwest of Duluth on the Du- 
. . luth, Missabe & Northern and 

Duluth & Iron Range rail- 
roads, and the Canadian-Northern Railway. 
It is an important mining and lumbering 
point. It has made a wonderful growth, 
having attained the sixth place in the state 
in population (10,473). Its well-paved 
streets, handsome homes, magnificent school 
buildings, make it a l^eautiful city. It has 
a branch county courthouse to aid in the 
transaction of the enormous volume of legal 
business on the ranges and to relieve the 
Central Court House in Duluth. 

Ckookston, the county seat of Polk 
County, situated on Red Lake River, which 

affords good water power, is 
Crookston . i i • ■, . , 

m a lumbering and agricul- 
tural district. The location of the city 
makes it a good market for farm products 
as well as a railway, commercial, and manu- 
facturing center. It has large lumber mills, 
roller mills, foundry, creamery, and other 
factories. Its public buildings are substan- 
tial. One of the state agricultural schools 



and sub-stations is located in the vicinity of 
the city. Its population is 75.59. 

MooKHEAD, opposite the city of P\irgo, is 
the county seat of Clay County. It is the 

seat of one of the state normal 

11 1 c ft 1- /-I 1 Moorhead 

schools and of Concordia Col- 
lege. It has a large trade in wheat and 
potatoes, and is an important distributing 
center for the agricultural products in its 
vicinity. It has grain elevators, flour mills, 
brickyards, foundry and machine shops. 
Its present population is 4840. 

WiLLMAR, tlie county seat of Kandiyohi 
County, is located in the central portion of 
the state about 75 miles west 
of the cities of St. Paul and 
Minneapolis. The Great Northern and Soo 
railroads afford excellent transportation. 
It is largely interested in agricultural pur- 
suits, has several manufacturing industries, 
cigar factories, creameries, and machine 
shops. The city has a population of 4135. 

Anoka is the county .seat of Anoka 
County, situated on the Mississipiji River. 
Its interests are largely con- 
nected with the shipment of 
vegetables, live stock, and dairy products. 
In the city and county there are 55 manu- 
facturing establishments, with a capital of 
one and one quarter million dollars. It 
has elevators, flouring mills, and creameries. 
It is 25 miles from the cities of Minneapolis 
and St. Paul, and 125 miles from Duluth ; 
is connected with these cities by the Great 
Northern and Northern Pacific railroads. 
Population, 3972. 

C'LOQUET, situated on the St. Louis 
River, is the largest town in Carlton 
County. It has a population 
of 7031, and is a growing city. 
Manufacturing jilants located there employ 
.several hundred men. It has five of the 
largest white pine sawmills in the world, 
a box factory, and one of the finest paper 
mills in the country. Cheap and abundant 
power for manufacturing purposes can be 
obtained from the St. Louis River. On 
this river there is now developed one of the. 
greatest commercial power jjlants in the 



Cloquet 



MINNESOTA 



33 



United States. This city is near the virgin 
forest of pine, birch, pophir, basswood, 
spruce, cedar, and elm, and so furnishes 
raw material for wood-working industries 
of every description. 

Albert Lea is the county seat of Free- 
born County ; located in the extreme 

southern portion of the state, 
Albert Lea . •, /■ ,i . ,• 

a lew miles from the state line. 

It is on the shores of a beautiful lake and is 
the count}' seat of one of the most important 
and highl}' developed counties in the state. 
There are many manufacturing industries. 
It is a popular resort and the seat of Albert 
Lea College for Women. It is a market 
for agricultural and dairy products, chiefly 
butter. It has grain elevators, large flour 
mills, foundry, machine shoj^s, brick and 
tile works, corset factory, and a metal re- 
frigerator factor}-. There are fifty or more 
artesian wells of chalyljeate water within 
the city. Population, 6192. 

OwATOXNA is the county seat of Steele 
County, 75 miles south of the Twin Cities 

on Straight River. By means 
Owatonna p ,, t-. i t . t ir-i 

01 the Kock Island, Milwaukee 

and Northwestern systems, it reaches the 
])riucipal trade centers. Pillsbury Acad- 
emy, Sacred Heart Academy, and the state 
public school for dependent and neglected 
children are located here. The city main- 
tains three beautiful parks : Central, Min- 
eral Springs, and Dartt's. It is in the cen- 
ter of a productive farming district and has 
important industrial interests, flour mills, 
foundries, machine shops, butter tub factory, 
soap works, nurseries, canneries, establish- 
ments for manufacturing churns, gasoline 
engines, fanning mills, wagons, sleighs, and 
automobiles. The mineral water from its 



springs is shipped in carload lots. Popula- 
tion, 5658. 

New Ulm is the county seat of Brown 
County, on the Minnesota River, about 60 
miles southwest of Minneapolis 

1 C'i n 1 Ti. • -x New Ulm 

and St. Paul. Its proximity 
to the markets of St. Paul and Minneapolis 
make it an especially favorite point for the 
agriculturist. New Ulm is a large rural 
milling center, having four flour mills, 
three breweries, foundry, creameries, and 
vinegar works. Its population, largely 
composed of Germans, numl)ers 56-48. In 
its schools the German as well as the Eng- 
lish language is taught in all the grades. 
The city was destroyed in a raid by the 
Indians in 1862 and again nearly destroyed 
by a cyclone in 1881. 

Review and Summary 

The central location of Minnesota, its 
history, its geological story, the variety and 
fertility of its soil, tiie extent of its arable 
land, the abundance of its crops, the favor- 
able condition for stock raising and dairy- 
ing, the wealth of forest, stream, and mine, 
the miles of navigable rivers, the extent of 
its rail and water transportation, its equable 
climate, its numerous and picturesque lakes, 
its dry atmosphere with many bright sun- 
shiny days, its splendid efforts in behalf of 
public education, give promise of a future 
in resources, farm products, manufactures, 
commerce, intelligence, and population tliat 
will place the state in the very front ranks 
of American comraonwealtlis. It is to-day 
the land of opportunity, assuring the person 
who takes advantage of tiie inducements 
offered most favorable conditions and the 
best returns for his eft'orts. 



Printed in tlie United States of America. 




LIBRPRY OF CONGRESS 



015 910 280 4 




